King Corn is documentary about economies of scale in agriculture and food. Two guys, fresh out ouf college, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, take off for Greene, Iowa. Why? To live their dream of growing one acre of corn in order to gain a greater understanding of agriculture and the food production system.
With help from local landowners, they successfully work through every step of raising corn, from seed purchase to harvest. Little do they know, that they will lose $19 dollars in the process...until they applyfor government subsidies, which brings them $21 dollars into the green: a first hand look at our tax dollars at work.
This movie is both entertaining and eye-opening. It investigates the economic benefits and dietary pitfalls of the use of corn as both an animal food and a sweetener. Along the way, their adventure raises questions about the economic and health benefits of our twenty-first century diet, and leaves the audience interested and curious about why we eat what we eat. The one big area in which King Corn falls short is solution proposition. I'm looking forward to watching the sequel, Big River.
Last post: May 13, 2011
ReplyDelete'Bout time for your yearly entry, wouldn't you say? ;)